DOT gives Leo Frigo bridge another clean bill of health

May 3, 2014

Work continues to the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay on Friday, May 2, 2014. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation hosed a tour to the media to show what's been fixed and upgraded on the bridge. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media / Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media

Work continues to the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay on Friday, May 2, 2014. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation hosed a tour to the media to show what's been fixed and upgraded on the bridge. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media / Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media

Work continues to the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay on Friday, May 2, 2014. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation hosed a tour to the media to show what's been fixed and upgraded on the bridge. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media / Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media

Work continues to the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay on Friday, May 2, 2014. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation hosed a tour to the media to show what's been fixed and upgraded on the bridge. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media / Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media

Work continues to the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay on Friday, May 2, 2014. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation hosed a tour to the media to show what's been fixed and upgraded on the bridge. Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media / Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media

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Repairs to the once-sagging Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge mean that the span will remain safe for decades, a state transportation official said Friday.

Tom Buchholz, project manager for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, said the work being completed this spring will mean no worries about sagging “long after I’m gone,” and probably much longer than that.

The span, which carries Interstate 43 across the north end of the Fox River, was closed from Sept. 25 to Jan. 5 after a 2-foot dip developed in pavement on the bridge’s eastern section. Repairs cost $8.45 million, which includes a $750,000 bonus for finishing early.

Crews have shored up five of the roughly 50 piers that support the bridge, which carries about 40,000 vehicles per day.

Authorities traced the problem to the condition of the soil beneath support piers that weakened vertical steel pilings, causing part of the structure to buckle.

The situation had prompted the DOT to review records to see if other bridges in the state were built on similar soil, Buchholz said. That review has prompted no areas of concern to date, Buchholz said Friday at a news conference held beneath the bridge.

Officials opened the bridge before the early January NFC Wild Card playoff game at Lambeau Field between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers.

Zenith Tech of Waukesha was the contractor for the repair project. Zenith boosted the sagging pavement back into place and installed a new permanent support structure.